Texas Resident Involved in Illegal Gambling Receives Prison Sentence

Illegal Gambling Ringleader Sentenced to Prison in California


Nathan Nichols, a 46-year-old Corpus Christi resident was sentenced to more than two years in prison after admitting to running an illegal gambling business. The same man was also involved in the theft of US Army property in a separate case, the US Attorney’s Office Southern District of Texas revealed Tuesday.

The investigation into the illegal gambling operation was conducted by the FBI in collaboration with the Corpus Christi Police Department. On the other hand, Homeland Security Investigations looked into the stolen military property case and received assistance from US Army Criminal Investigation Division.

The US Attorney’s Office said that Nichols was the owner and operator of Lady Luck, as well as the co-owner of Theo’s Bar, two businesses that provided illegal gambling entertainment. According to the Attorney’s Office, Nichols admitted to participating in the illegal gambling operation in Corpus Christi which operated between March 2018 and August 2019.

The Man Received a Prison Sentence Followed by Supervised Release

The illegal gambling business involved computers that displayed casino-style games, resembling the function of a standard slot machine. Those games are also popular as “8-liners.” Instead of using a slot machine, the gamblers played on a computer screen. They were able to place bets and receive cash for winnings.

For his involvement in the theft of the US Army equipment and the illegal gambling business, Nichols was sentenced to 27 months or 2 years and 3 months in federal prison. In addition to his prison sentence, he will undergo two years of supervised release. Nichols was also ordered by the court to pay $1 million in restitution. Given his guilty pleas, he also agreed to forfeit some $2.18 million obtained from the illegal gambling operation.

When it comes to the US Army equipment, it was back in July 2021 when law enforcement executed a search warrant at Nichols’ home. At his home, the authorities uncovered property that belonged to the US Army which included night vision scopes and goggles, laser aiming equipment, as well as laser range finders and thermal scopes.

The overall cost of the items was some $2,176,000. An investigation uncovered that Nichols was in touch with a person that was involved in the theft of the equipment. Consequently, he agreed to buy the military equipment with the intent to resell it.



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Link Between Loot Boxes and Gambling Evident per New Research

Link Between Loot Boxes and Gambling Evident per New Research


According to Lure Clark, director of UBC’s Center of Gambling Research, there is some evidence to suggest that loot boxes and problem gambling have a link and are somehow related. Previous research in places such as the United Kingdom and Australia has claimed similar findings, although researchers stopped short of categorizing loot boxes themselves as a form of gambling. It wasn’t for a lack of trying.

What Clark Found Out about Loot Boxes in Video Games

Clark presented his findings at the BC Lottery Corporation’s New Horizons in Responsible Gambling conference held on Tuesday and spoke about what these digital assets were and how they got popular. Clark mostly said that loot boxes originated in games such as Electronic Arts’ FIFA and Valve’s Dota 2 and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive games.  

The digital containers offered a hidden prize that was generated randomly, although each container these days displays the percentage of a given type of item dropping from it – that was also changed from previously not displaying any percentages at all due to regulatory pressure in markets where loot boxes are available.

Speaking to Global News, the outlet that did the original reporting, Clark noted that other jurisdictions around the globe are also tussling with the issue of loot boxes and how to approach them. He said:

Researchers have seen this link in past research, a correlation between higher levels of spending on loot boxes and higher symptoms of problem gambling, but until now we haven’t really understood the cause and effect behind that relationship.

UBC’s Center of Gambling Research director Luke Clark

His research focused on 400 regular gamers aged 18-24. These gamers were not gamblers per se, but Clark wanted to see if their interaction with loot boxes would push them into gambling. According to the researcher, who set up a follow-up period of six months, people who were spending more on loot boxes were also more likely to end up gambling as well, Clark concluded.

“We can see that clear migration effect, the people who are spending more on loot boxes are more likely to initiate gambling over that follow up period,” the researcher noted in his observation. The video gaming ecosystem has proven a particularly treacherous conduit of gambling as well.

UBC graduate student Raymond Wu who also examines the link between gambling and gaming said that streaming platforms such as Twitch were still dominated by gambling content even though the Amazon-owned platform undertook some measures to curb the proliferation of these measures.

This is dangerous, explained Wu, who said that people could simply end up being “triggered” by watching others gambling. Self-exclusion programs do not include Twitch streams. Meanwhile, an Austrian court has ordered Sony to pay back consumers over FUT transactions.



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NuxGame Solidifies LatAm Presence with Monnet

NuxGame Solidifies LatAm Presence with Monnet


This will allow NuxGame to significantly strengthen its presence in the Latin American market and leverage Monnet’s tech expertise to position itself in the region. Monnet’s payment systems will facilitate payment operations for customers who are using NuxGame’s online and sports betting software.

Streamlined Payments to Make It Easier on Consumers

Monnet will allow players to benefit from rapid payment options that are going to be carried out through the deployment of the company’s Regional Wallet which is tied to better overall operator performance.

Operators will also benefit from the integration as they would not need to be domiciled or affiliated with a local bank in a given jurisdiction, NuxGame explains in the press release. Furthermore, NuxGame is making another stake in the Latin American region where the company wants to be seen as a prominent local player and fixture of the gaming landscape.

Presently, Monnet’s solutions operate in nine countries in South America and support a range of currencies. It similarly consolidates clients’ payments through a single platform and allows for automated payments to offer further savings to operators.

NuxGame is committed to innovating iGaming and part of this comes with the betterment of payment products and the opportunity for consumers to process their money quickly. Latin America is an important part of NuxGame’s growth pillar, and it will be a market of continued and sustained focus throughout the rest of the year.

NuxGame CEO Daniel Heywood welcomed the opportunity to partner with Monnet and integrate what is a fast, simple, and safe payment solution into the company’s core platform. Heywood added:

Partnering with Monnet will allow us to provide these services to any of our clients that are already established within LatAm or seeking to enter the market for the first time.

NuxGame CEO Daniel Heywood

Latin America Becomes a Priority for Company in 2023

He further said that the addition of this streamlined payment process should be a “hit” with clients with iGaming in Latin America becoming even more popular. Sports betting in markets across the region is changing as well.

Brazil has outlined a new plan to regulate sports betting and fight crime emanating from the sector just this week. The country is now expecting to see sportsbooks set up shop in the country and finally start paying taxes.

Payment solutions such as Monnet will help NuxGame-powered companies to strengthen their positions and boost their profiles with consumers as markets are changing across the region.



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Brazil to Require Betting Companies to Set up Shop in the Country

MrJack.Bet Inks Sponsorship Deal with Red Bull Bragantino in Brazil


The country has recently vowed to ensure that sports betting companies are taxed, something that was supposed to happen under the presidency of Jair Bolsonaro who ultimately failed to sign an important piece of legislation on his way out of office.

Sports Companies in Brazil Would Need to Set Headquarters in Brazil

Bolsonaro is now bickering over his loss of office and blaming voter fraud for his displacement. In the meantime, though, Da Silva’s office is determined to make sure that betting companies are held to high standards and that begins with accountability. Asking sportsbooks to be based in the country and set up headquarters there will allow authorities to use oversight mechanisms that allow them to tackle fraud, manipulation, match-fixing, and more.

The ordinance comes from the finance ministry which has been working around the clock to introduce a new taxation regime for the sector and the companies involved in it, which are mostly overseas entities. While sportsbooks were allowed to set up shop in 2018, their taxation has been largely left to loose regulation which has resulted in Brazil missing out on significant sums of money.

“The regulation will require that betting companies are based in Brazil,” the ministry assured in a statement. However, there are still some questions that remain. For example, it’s not clear at this point what the ministry means when it wants companies to be based in the country.

Does it refer to a subsidiary with local headquarters, which is what GamblingNews understood? However, other arrangements may also be enforced. Finance minister Fernando Haddad has been scrambling to ensure that sportsbooks begin paying their dues in Brazil and also looking for new revenue sources to plug a hole that a new exemption program on tax proposed by da Silva would open.

Spikes in social spending are not the only reason why Haddad is seeking to ensure that betting companies are paying their due. The minister argues that lack of regulation and collection of taxes also make sports in Brazil susceptible to manipulation and fraud. This should help crack down on money laundering and other illegal activities. Once again, the ministry kept shtum on what rates it’s mulling regarding the upcoming sports betting tax.



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Australia Forms Second AML Unit to Tackle Gambling Crime

Everi Holdings to Provide Its AML Solution to the BCLC


The new unit will be tasked with combating what the regulator sees as an increasing threat of money laundering that comes from gambling operators. Even industry insiders have agreed that anti-money laundering is a significant risk to their businesses, with Crown Resorts and Star Entertainment investing heavily in improving their AML and KYC practices lest they come in the crosshairs of regulators again. The pressure companies face is two-fold – they have fraudulent customers to worry about and journalists looking to discover malpractice.

AUSTRAC Brings More Capabilities to Tackle Money Laundering

Regulators in Victoria, a state in Australia, are even preparing for a “Plan B” scenario whereby Crown Resorts fails to meet its licensure targets and is ousted from running the casino property in Melbourne.

The new AML unit is set up on the heels of another recent investigation launched by AUSTRAC into suspected offenses by Sportsbet and bet365 which allegedly failed to meet anti-money laundering laws in the first place. Commenting on this case, an AUSTRAC spokesperson had this to add:

AUSTRAC allocates its resources to manage the threat of money laundering and terrorism financing in the Australian financial system, relative to the risks faced by different industry sectors.

AUSTRAC spokesperson

The spokesperson argued that the establishment of a second team of specialists is reflective of the high stakes the industry is running as of right, and the possibility of such crime taking place across casino floors. AUSTRAC is not acting just on suspicion but has the data to back and justify the establishment of a new unit. Bradley Brown, a manager of regulatory operations, said that there has been a noticeable increase in suspicious transactions.

Brown is also a staunch supporter of some of the recently discussed measures that could see the industry significantly limit the room for the such crime taking place in the first place. For one, he supports the push to introduce cashless gaming at poker machine venues which should significantly help limit money laundering.

Cashless to do Some Good, Create New Risks Too

If anything, cash transactions continue to be one of the biggest issues for regulators as they try to home in on illegal activity in the gambling sector. The establishment of a second unit to home in on this issue up close is a way to guarantee the sector’s safety, Brown thinks. The industry has been mostly receptive to the idea of introducing cashless gambling solutions as well.

Crown Resorts’ manager of a financial crime risk, Armina Antoniou, argued that money laundering risk would be reduced if a cashless technology was true to be implemented, but flagged some of the potential pitfalls. For one, digital IDs could be purchased on the dark web and criminals would still continue to launder money.



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Esfandiari Involved in Epic Three-Way Cooler for Stacks on New High Stakes Poker Episode

Esfandiari Involved in Epic Three-Way Cooler for Stacks on New High Stakes Poker Episode



High Stakes Poker Season 10 returned to the PokerGO app Tuesday night with Episode 7, and it was arguably the most entertaining show thus far in 2023.

The episode featured a wild flop that connected with three players in a major way among a few other interesting hands. At the table were the same cast of characters returning from Episode 6Antonio Esfandiari, Jennifer Tilly, Bill Perkins, Bobby Baldwin, Roger Sippl, and Robert Sanchez — all competing in a high-stakes no-limit hold’em game with straddles on.

Esfandiari, Tilly, Sanchez Battle for $300k Pot

jennifer tilly high stakes poker
Jennifer Tilly

There isn’t much debate as to which pot was the “Hand of the Day” on the most recent High Stakes Poker episode. That classification goes to a pot played between Tilly, Esfandiari, and Sanchez in which all three players hit something big on the flop.

The straddled hand began with Tilly raising to $3,000 from the button with {2-Hearts}{2-Diamonds} and then receiving a call from Sanchez, holding {k-Clubs}{9-Clubs} in the small blind. Esfandiari, with {j-Hearts}{j-Diamonds} then three-bet to $11,000 and both players called.

When {j-Clubs}{9-Spades}{2-Clubs} appeared on the flop, all three of them caught a large piece of that board. Esfandiari, with top set, bet $14,000 and both opponents made the call to see the {10-Diamonds} on the turn.

The “Magician” bet out again, this time for $43,000 before Tilly, who had bottom set, moved all in for $115,000. That forced Sanchez and his pair with a flush and gut-shot straight draw to fold. But it didn’t get Esfandiari to let go of top set, nor did it make him even consider folding. He quickly made the call and they each agreed to run the river just once, which was the {10-Hearts}, giving both players a full house.

Esfandiari’s boat was bigger and he took down the $305,800 pot, one of the largest thus far in Season 10.

Jennifer Tilly Pays Off Pocket Aces

Perkins Doesn’t Believe Esfandiari

bill perkins antonio esfandiari
Bill Perkins

Every once in a while Perkins can be a bit stingy at the poker table. The author and hedge fund manager played a sizable pot against Esfandiari, who was catching cards early on in the session.

In this featured hand, Esfandiari raised to $1,000 with {a-Clubs}{3-Diamonds} before his pal, Perkins, made the call with {k-Spades}{7-Spades} in the small blind. The flop was {4-Spades}{3-Clubs}{3-Hearts} and Perkins decided to lead for $1,000, which convinced his opponent to raise to $6,000 with trips. That didn’t convince the under-the-gun bettor to fold king-high, however.

After both players took a glimpse at the {7-Hearts} on the turn, action checked over to the preflop raiser, who fired out a wager of $10,000. With top pair, Perkins called and then called off another $20,000 on the {9-Clubs} river.

Perkins also lost a $93,000 pot to Sanchez when his pocket nines couldn’t catch up to pocket queens. Two jacks appeared on the flop in a four-way pot, none of whom had trips, and it checked through. Sanchez was able to get some value on the turn and river from Perkins when it became apparent to him that no one had a jack.

Baldwin Moves All In

bobby baldwin
Bobby Baldwin

Baldwin and Tilly have battled in quite a few sizable pots during Season 10. In Episode 7, they went at it again with the former actress hoping to catch her straight draw.

In our final featured hand of the week, Tilly raised to $3,000 with {9-Hearts}{7-Hearts} before Perkins made an ambitious three-bet to $13,000 with {7-Spades}{4-Spades} in the small blind. Esfandiari called from the straddle with {a-Diamonds}{k-Clubs} and Baldwin, who had originally limped, put chips in the pot with {10-Clubs}{10-Spades}.

The flop ran out {2-Spades}{8-Diamonds}{6-Diamonds} and Baldwin, after two players checked to him, ripped off a bet of $40,000 with his over pair. Tilly, chasing an open-ended straight draw, decided to make the call while everyone else folded. But when the board paired on the turn with the {8-Clubs}, she had to fold to a $116,000 all in wager and the 1978 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event champion took down the large pot.

High Stakes Poker Season 10 returns next week on PokerGO at 5 p.m. PT with Episode 8.

Crazy High Stakes Poker Chop Pot

Past High Stakes Poker Recaps

Check out our past recaps from Season 10 of High Stakes Poker on PokerGO:

*Images courtesy of PokerGO.





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Nevada Legislator Seeks to Raise Jackpot Reporting Threshold

Nevada Updates Gambling Regulations to Prevent Cyber Attacks


An old and dysfunctional rule related to the threshold for reporting slot machine winnings may finally get updated in Nevada if legislators heed the call by Rep. Dina Titus.

Archaic Reporting Threshold

Titus, who introduced a bill to raise the reporting threshold last year but the bill did not find support to progress, is now determined to take it this time over the line and offload a significant amount of paperwork for casinos, as well as frustration for customers waiting for their winnings to be processed.

“There was a time when we were trying to get the Treasury Department to do this through regulation, but they never moved, so we’re just going to push the legislation instead,” Titus said as reported by the Review-Journal.

According to the current policy that was adopted back in 1977, a jackpot win in excess of $1,200 should be reported by the operator – be it a casino, tavern, restaurant, convenience store, or even airport personnel –via a W-2G form filing to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

Titus, a co-chair of the Congressional Gaming Caucus, is convinced that this “archaic” threshold should be updated to reflect the dramatic changes in the landscape over the 46 years since it had been first implemented and cut down the paperwork burden for operators.

She calls for bipartisan support for her proposal aiming to raise the reporting threshold to $5,000 and index it to the annual inflation and believes it could receive support from states that have some form of commercial or tribal gaming. Moreover, she is determined to make it a cause in the caucus as not just Las Vegas (her legislative district includes the Strip), but everybody will benefit from it.

‘Drain on the Consumer’

Currently, when a player hits a jackpot on a slot machine, the procedure requires the machine to be taken offline after the attendants have checked it and verified the winner’s identification. But there are places where it may take a while for the process to begin due to casino or other personnel being occupied with other responsibilities, leaving patrons waiting, sometimes for hours.

“It certainly is a drain on the consumer,” said Alex Costello, vice president of government relations for the American Gaming Association (AGA), outlining that the process “takes a little air off the tires and it certainly is a compliance headache” for operators.

According to the last available statistics referring to 2020, there were more than 15 million W-2G forms filed with the IRS, and now, as the sector is recovering from the pandemic lows, the number of jackpots to be won is likely to go higher.

Titus said that if the measure is a high enough priority for most members of Congress, the proposal should make it through the House, and from there on she expects senators representing Nevada to take the initiative and win Senate approval.



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The Infamous Charles Bronson Has Been Gambling in Prison for Almost 50 Years

Closeup of man's shackled hands at a parole hearing


Against the rules

Charles Bronson is perhaps the most notorious prisoner in the UK. The 70-year-old has spent 48 years in prison during his lifetime and has recently revealed that he frequently gambles while behind bars. The “most violent prisoner” in the UK is currently up for parole.

his betting winnings last year were around £1,500

The review board hearing started on Monday; during it, Bronson admitted that he has spent a lot of time placing sports bets. He stated that his betting winnings last year were around £1,500 ($1,791). Gambling is not allowed in the region’s prisons, which means that there could now be investigations into Bronson’s ability to gamble for so many years.

Just a hobby

When asked during the public hearing if gambling was allowed in prison, Bronson said “No one has ever said anything to me in 50 years.” He also denied that he was addicted to gambling, stating that it was just one of his hobbies.

Bronson changed his name to Charles Salvador in 2014, inspired by artist Salvador Dali.

It is just the second time ever that an inmate in the UK has had a public parole hearing, with people able to watch a live stream of the proceedings. Bronson claims that he is now an “angel” compared to how he used to be. He stated that he is now against violence and uses art to manage any negative feelings he may be having. His past seven parole hearings have been unsuccessful.

A checkered history

It is unclear if Bronson has a chance of earning his freedom following the parole hearing. Bronson’s first significant prison stretch came in 1974 when was sentenced to seven years for armed robbery.

Bronson typically spends 23 hours a day in his cell and passes much of the time creating art. He has raised significant money for charity by selling his paintings.

He has been behind bars for most of the intervening years, with various altercations resulting in extensions to his incarceration period. During his time in prison, he has taken at least 11 individual hostages, including an art teacher who criticized one of Bronson’s paintings. He also assaulted a prison warden and got into many other scrapes.

The post The Infamous Charles Bronson Has Been Gambling in Prison for Almost 50 Years appeared first on VegasSlotsOnline News.

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$1M Michigan Lottery Ticket Could Have Ended up in the Trash

$1M Michigan Lottery Ticket Could Have Ended up in the Trash


A 30-year-old woman from Clinton County, Michigan, won $1 million playing the Michigan Lottery’s Sizzling Hot 7’s instant scratch game but her story may have ended differently.

The Second Check Saved the Day

Speaking to the lottery officials, the woman who chose to claim her prize without letting the lottery reveal her identity, explained that there was a high chance for the winning ticket to have ended up in the trash and the prize to be lost after she initially believed the ticket had won nothing.

“I always play the new instant tickets when they come out each month,” she said, noting that one night while at the store she decided to buy two Sizzling Hot 7’s tickets as it was a newer lottery game. She bought the tickets at Hansen’s Quik Stop in Ovid, a small city located 30 miles northeast of Lansing almost entirely within Clinton County.

After buying the lottery tickets, she got back into her car and scratched them but somehow decided they were both non-winners and placed them in a bag with other garbage to be thrown away. Lucky for her, she did not throw that bag the same night.

“The next morning, I decided to look the tickets over one more time before throwing them away,” the lucky player continued with her story, outlining that as soon as she realized one of the tickets had won $1 million, her heart started racing and she thought she would faint. The next thing she did was to call her mom and husband and tell them the good news

I am so glad I decided to look the ticket over again before throwing it away.

A statement by the lottery winner

Buying a Home, Investing for the Future

The lucky woman chose to collect her winnings in one lump sum of around $693,000, instead of taking the $1 million in 30 installments. She shared with the lottery officials that she would use the money to buy a home and invest.

Relatively new, the Sizzling Hot 7’s scratch ticket game offers $10 tickets and allows players to win prizes from $10 to $1 million. The lottery game has paid out more than $15 million since its launch in January.

Her story resembles the story of a woman from Massachusetts who in 2021 prematurely threw away a lottery ticket at the convenience store she had bought it only for the son of the store owner to check the ticket after that, see that it won $1 million and take it back to the lucky player.



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BetMGM Named Official Sports Betting Partner of the Red Sox

BetMGM Named Official Sports Betting Partner of the Red Sox


Sports betting and online gaming operator BetMGM announced it has entered into a partnership with Boston Red Sox to become an Official Sports Betting Partner of the MLB franchise from Massachusetts.

‘Elevate Gameday Experience’

The partnership with the Boston Red Sox marked the first agreement for BetMGM with a sports betting team from Massachusetts, while for the Red Sox, it is the first arrangement with a sports betting operator.

Commenting on the announcement, Matt Prevost, chief revenue officer of BetMGM, hailed the Red Sox as “one of baseball’s most beloved organizations,” eager “to bring BetMGM to their passionate fans” and work hand-in-hand with the team “to elevate the gameday experience in Boston.”

The partnership with the Red Sox will see BetMGM signage feature at the home of the Red Sox, Fenway Park, including on the Green Monster, the ballpark’s left field wall. In addition, the sports betting brand will have a suite at the stadium and offer fans VIP experiences, including access to batting practice with premium seats, alumni appearances, and ceremonial first pitches.

First Sports Betting Partner

Troup Parkinson, executive vice president of partnerships for the Boston Red Sox, also commented on the agreement, “proud to partner with BetMGM” while the states preparing for the official launch of mobile sports wagering to “enter a new era of professional sports betting.”

Given our strong relationship with MGM Resorts, BetMGM was the clear choice to become the first sports betting partner of the club, and we look forward to them offering sports betting opportunities to our fans in a safe and responsible manner.

Troup Parkinson, executive VP of partnerships, Boston Red Sox

Also as part of the agreement, co-branded content will be integrated across the digital and social media platforms of both the sports betting brand and the MLB franchise from Boston.

Strengthen Ties with MGM Resorts

The partnership with BetMGM is set to further strengthen the Red Sox’s tie with MGM Resorts defined by a multi-year agreement that made the casino and hospitality company the Official Resort Casino of the Boston Red Sox and the naming rights of The MGM Music Hall at Fenway which opened in September.

On behalf of MGM Resorts, president and chief operating officer for Northeast Group, Chris Kelley, outlined that being the host of the annual Red Sox Winter weekend allowed MGM Springfield to position itself as “a destination for New England baseball fans.”

With sports betting now legal in Massachusetts, we remain committed, through GameSense, to offering an enjoyable and responsible experience for our guests, customers and MGM Rewards members.

Chris Kelley, president & COO, Northeast Group

GameSense, a responsible gaming program, developed and licensed to MGM Resorts by the British Columbia Lottery Corporation, is an integral part of BetMGM’s efforts to provide responsible gaming education concurrent with its expansion into new markets.



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